Delivering an Executive Search to Strengthen Government Engagement and Policy Influence for a National For‑Purpose Organisation
The Brief
Future Leadership was engaged by a national humanitarian organisation operating across Australia to appoint a Head of Government Affairs during a period of heightened humanitarian need, regulatory reform and increasing expectations of evidence‑based policy engagement.
The organisation operates in complex policy environments and works closely with Commonwealth, state and territory governments to deliver disaster response, recovery and humanitarian programs. Strengthening trusted government relationships and enhancing national policy influence were critical to advancing its humanitarian mission.
The role required a highly credible leader able to navigate complex legislative frameworks, engage confidently with senior government stakeholders and represent the organisation as a trusted, non‑partisan voice on humanitarian and social policy. Values alignment, public sector credibility and deep understanding of crisis response and recovery frameworks were essential.
The role required a highly credible leader able to:
- Engage confidently with senior Commonwealth, state and territory government stakeholders
- Navigate complex policy and legislative environments
- Represent the organisation as a trusted, non partisan voice on humanitarian and social policy
- Translate frontline humanitarian insights into effective government advocacy
Candidate Net Promoter Score
Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.
Candidates supported every year
We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.
Senior Women Appointed since 2002
Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.
Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002
Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!
Future Leadership undertook a comprehensive national executive search process, tailored to the organisation’s profile, operating environment and strategic priorities. This approach was selected to ensure access to senior leaders with both policy depth and operational credibility across government and humanitarian systems.
• Briefing and Strategy Development: Conducted detailed briefings with the Chief Executive Officer and executive stakeholders to clarify role scope, strategic priorities and success measures.
• Targeted Candidate Search: Delivered a national search supported by online advertising across executive and public sector platforms, combined with proactive market mapping, referrals and direct outreach.
• Advertising Campaign: Designed and placed a targeted executive advertisement across specialist and mainstream platforms to attract candidates with deep government and policy experience.
• Candidate Assessment: Assessed shortlisted candidates against agreed capability criteria, including structured interviews and behavioural evaluation to test policy acumen, stakeholder influence and leadership maturity.
• Final Evaluation: Presented a final shortlist to the selection committee, supporting decision‑making through detailed candidate insights and comparative analysis.
Future Leadership Capability Framework
Stakeholder Relations
Works strategically and systemically to encourage diverse thinking with all types of people. Actively contributes to teamwork, and deliberately builds relationships and networks across a range of people and communities.
Governance and Compliance
Establishing, championing and measuring the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems.. Delivering value for diverse stakeholders through governance, strategy, risk management and appropriate targets and metrics.
Communication and Influence
Communicates with clarity and impact to facilitate individual and collective understanding, inspire action and enable information exchange. Leverages human-centric communication and storytelling to effectively influence stakeholders across the physical and virtual realms.
Systems Thinking
Systematically breaks down siloes across the operating environment and connects stakeholders to harness convergent ideas. Understands the leverage points of systems change and demonstrates the ability to think beyond known systems.
Critical Strategy and Purpose
Examines information for assumptions and gaps in logic; reframes problems and presents well-reasoned insights accommodating diverse perspectives. Persistent in asking insightful questions, enabling complex strategic judgements to be made across multiple dimensions.
The Outcome
The search resulted in the appointment of a highly experienced public sector and emergency management leader as Head of Government Affairs. The appointed executive brought more than two decades of senior Australian Public Service experience, with national responsibility for disaster recovery, resilience and whole‑of‑government coordination.
• Advising ministers and senior officials on complex, high‑stakes policy matters
• Leading national disaster recovery and risk reduction initiatives
• Coordinating across Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments
• Partnering with not‑for‑profit and philanthropic sectors to deliver community outcomes.
